Living the Green Life in Honolulu

Here are 16 forward-thinking Hawaii businesses ready to help you make the switch, away from fossil fuels and into a renewable future.

By Special Promotional Section

Published: 2012.07.06 09:43 AM

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photo: courtesy strictly solar

Cool tradewinds. The deep blue ocean. About 300 days of sunshine a year. Hawaii’s environment is not only beautiful, it is powerful. Wind, solar, geothermal and wave energy is abundant, yet more than 80 percent of the energy we consume is imported. The same goes for our food. Most comes from across the ocean even though our archipelago – with 11 of the world’s 13 climate zones – is well-suited for a wide variety of crops.

This needs to change. It begins with individual everyday decisions.

Good Energy for Hawaii

Hawaii is more dependent on foreign oil than any other state in the nation. However, we are quickly becoming a leader in the development of clean and sustainable energy sources.

By using solar, wind, and biomass power generators, we are making extraordinary progress to reduce our need for imported oil. The Gas Company is very proud to be playing a major role in making this transformation a reality.

One of the ways we are helping Hawaii to become more energy independent is by making Synthetic Natural Gas from renewable feedstock such as animal fats and plant oils. Our Renewable Natural Gas plant on Oahu is the only facility of its kind in America. Our goal is to make 50% of our gas from renewable and sustainable sources by 2015 – only three years from now.

We are also very excited about our plans to help make Hawaii more energy self-sufficient by delivering hydrogen from our manufacturing processes. Hydrogen is a new, clean and renewable fuel source for Hawaii. The consumption of fossil fuels will be reduced by powering cars with Hydrogen fuel cells.

This is a time of new beginnings for Hawaii and for the Gas Company. Our new name and logo will clarify our position as a beacon for Hawaii’s clean and sustainable energy future.

While helping Hawaii meet its ambitious goals for renewable energy production in the future, we are committed to providing the same high level of excellent service to our customers and to our community which has been the foundation of our business in Hawaii for more than 100 years.

We invite you to learn more about what you can do to make Hawaii more energy efficient and sustainable. This special HONOLULU Magazine Living Green section will help show you how.